Doctors in Newcastle have been granted permission to use the three-person baby fertility technique to prevent incurable genetic diseases being inherited by children. The fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), issued its first licence for the procedure to the Newcastle Fertility Centre on Thursday. The doctors will now identify patients who could potentially benefit from the therapy and apply for separate licences to perform the treatment. Harmful mutations in mitochondrial DNA can have a devastating impact on children who inherit them. The donor mitochondria hold about 37 genes, equivalent to 0.2% of the embryo’s whole genome.

Source: The Guardian March 16, 2017 11:51 UTC